There Can Only Be One...NBA Most Valuable Player

There has been so much hype this season as to who will be the 2009 NBA MVP.

People call this a two-way battle between Kobe and LeBron, but I call this a three-way battle among Kobe, Lebron, and Wade.

Kobe, a three time NBA champion, and the reigning MVP.

Lebron, an All-Star, Rookie of the Year in 2005, and took his team to a NBA Finals but did not deliver.

Wade, an All-Star, NBA Champion, Finals MVP, and the current leading scorer.  

All of these players have a great chance of becoming the MVP, but there can only be one.

People say LeBron has this title in the bag, I highly disagree. I believe Dwyane Wade should win the MVP award, not because I’m a Miami Heat fan, but because I’m a writer who looked at all the possibilities and Wade is the clear choice to win.

Not only is Wade having the best season of his career, but he’s carrying his young inexperienced Miami Heat to a playoffs, one year after they were the laughing stock of the league.

Last time that happened was in 1969 when the San Diego Rockets went from 15 wins to the playoffs the next season, with a player by the name of Pat Riley. 

Most might disagree with my pick, but the numbers don’t lie and they certainly don’t tell the whole story.

Wade is averaging career highs in almost every single category. He’s the best shot-blocking guard in the NBA, with 1.36 blocks per game. He also leads the league with 29 points per game.

Apparently that’s not enough for the people at ESPN and Sports Illustrated with their “MVP Watch”. Both sites have Wade at fourth and fiftth respectively.

Who’s No. 1 and No. 2? LeBron and Kobe. Why is that? I’ll explain.

These people don’t understand the name of the award is Most Valuable PLAYER not Most Valuable TEAM. If the name of the award was most valuable team, then yes, Los Angeles or Cleveland would win.

Here’s my issue with this, if you trade Kobe from the Lakers or LeBron from the Cavs, their teams will still make the playoffs.

Now, if you trade Wade from the Heat, Miami would meltdown and not make the playoffs.

Why is that? Well simple really, L.A. and Cleveland have very good players. Any starters on those teams could easily become an All-Star on most other teams. Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol, and Mo Williams, just to name a few, are all All-Star caliber players.

Who does Miami have besides Wade? One might say Michael Beasley. Well if he’s such a great player, why is he in the bench? He’s still the second leading scorer on the team behind Wade.

Someone else might say Mario Chalmers, the 34th pick in the draft, who leads all rookies in steals and ranks fourth in the league with 1.99 steals per game. But look at those two players—they are rookies.

All this comes down to one thing, the Heat are very young and still seemed poised to make the playoffs. Wade is their leader, everyone looks to him for guidance. No doubt Wade is the Heat’s MVP but he is not getting the national attention he deserves.

This brings me to my next point. Teams like Boston, New Orleans, Detroit, Cleveland, and Los Angeles are on TNT and ESPN every other week.

Miami has had around five games nationally televised games. If Miami was on the national stage more often, people outside of Florida would be able to see Wade and his complete domination.

Not many people can grasp the greatness that is Dwyane Wade. So, as a treat, let’s compare Wade, Kobe and LeBron:

LeBron: 28.3 PPG, 7.3 APG, 1.72 SPG, 1.2 BPG 

Kobe: 27.2 PPG, 5 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.46 BPG 

Wade: 29.8 PPG (League Leader), 7.5 APG, 2.27 SPG, 1.36 BPG (Leads all guards)

As you can clearly see, Wade has the upper hand in all of the major categories, therefore, he deserves the MVP award.

Not only because he has the best stats compared to LeBron and Kobe, but neither Lebron nor Kobe have the weight Wade has on his shoulders—carrying a bunch of rookies to a playoff berth.

Wade’s Heat are 41-36 this season. Last season Miami was 15-67. Besides the Celtics of last year, Miami is having one of the best turnarounds in NBA history and by far the best in Heat history.

It’s irritating to see people give the MVP award out to players only because of their teams record. It’s not fair when said player is not the most valuable for said teams' success. You can’t just give it to a players because of that reason.

Last season, Kobe truly was the Most Valuable Player to the league. but this season neither Kobe nor LeBron are as VALUABLE to the NBA as Wade is.

Wade is one of the most exciting players to watch in the NBA. You can never count out the Heat when they have Wade playing for them. No one can argue with that. Wade is the true MVP.

Brought to you by theheatblog.com